Education is a key indicator of success in the areas of per capita income, public safety, home values, economic development, employment and earnings. The value of a city-wide approach lies in the understanding that the city has an essential role to play in ensuring that quality learning experiences are accessible to everyone. By augmenting the work of school districts and community partners, this effort represents an investment in local youth and recognition that education is a means of promoting social equity.

Staff developed a pilot approach that focuses on key development milestones that provide the greatest opportunities for intervention to improve student success. The essential elements considered include the need in San José, coordination and integration with partners and quality standards and assessments for all programs that are city endorsed, funded or sponsored. It specifically addresses educational goals for youth, ages approximately birth to 19 in pre-school, school-aged, high-school and college-readiness stages.

• Established evidence-based quality standards for all city sponsored programs with assessments, data collecting and reporting affecting 35,750 students
• Convened an expanded learning collaborative network that engages city, county, community and school agencies
• Developed an Education Policy clarifying the city’s role that guides investment, and establishes requirements for service delivery and reporting
• Leveraged $4.8 million in city and philanthropic funding and support from the tech sector in Silicon Valley